Monica King, a veteran of Pace Gallery and Paul Kasmin, has joined the ever-growing numbers of dealers targeting Tribeca with a new eponymous gallery.

The inaugural show at Monica King Contemporary will also be the first New York solo show for the multimedia and performance artist April Marten. Titled “Frances Wasn’t a Saint,” it opens on September 6 and runs through through October 12. The show will feature a range of media, including still images, multimedia installations, and video works, the latter derived from isolated performances enacted by the artist. Marten will perform live at an event scheduled for September 7.

King says she plans to present a broad interdisciplinary program of 17 international emerging and established artists with an artist-centric approach. “It’s long been my intention to open a gallery space that encourages collectors from all walks of life to approach art with an unmistakable sense of curiosity,” she said, adding: “My vision celebrates the vital contribution that contemporary art brings to our collective society and to each of our individual souls.”

In recent months, about a half dozen new and mid-size galleries have opened in Tribeca, enticed by reasonable rents and large spaces in historic buildings. Crucially, Tribeca is also outside of Chelsea’s flood zone, which was hit hard during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Among those now in Tribeca are James Cohan Gallery, Andrew Kreps, the Journal Gallery, R & Company, and CANADA. Another Kasmin veteran, Clara Ha, opened a new space, CHART, on Franklin Street this past May.

King, who began looking at gallery spaces earlier this year and was focused on Tribeca, told artnet News: “I believed that the neighborhood had the combination of being cutting edge and vibrant in a way that only downtown New York City can be, while also having an abundance of elegantly cultured and creatively curious residents calling it home.”

King has more than 20 years of contemporary art-world experience. As director of exhibitions for both Pace and Kasmin, she organized shows with artists including Chuck Close, David Hockney, Maya Lin, Joel Shapiro, Kiki Smith, and Fred Wilson, among many others.

King has also worked with the Sol Lewitt, Adolph Gottlieb and Bridget Rileyestates. Most recently, she served as the inaugural director of the SOCO Gallery in her home state of North Carolina. King returned to New York in 2018 to realize her new gallery.